By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Beginning in 2005, the Landenberg Store, as well as the Landenberg Hotel and a nearby four-unit wool house structure, were owned and managed by Bill and Beth Skalish, but after 17 years of stewardship, the couple placed Landenberg Village, LLC up for sale in August of 2023.

In less than a month, Fenix Capital Group, a real estate company that specializes in creating innovative and sustainable projects in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania, purchased Landenberg Village, LLC – now Landenberg Living, LLC -- for $1.062 million.

From the time Fenix co-owners Aaron Jones and Matt Feldman had begun to take an interest in the property, their vision was similar to their overall business plan to retrofit their acquisitions into existing communities, in much the same way they have done with a portfolio that also includes over 50 mixed-use developments, residential properties and commercial buildings.

Their goals for Landenberg Living, LLC were simple: to revamp the historic Landenberg Store and to convert the Landenberg Hotel to a six-room inn that would serve as a “staycation” for visitors to southern Chester County who desired a home base for weekends spent exploring the county’s many attractions and events. As an added bonus, those who would stay at the Landenberg Hotel would be offered three-to-four-day packages that would be tailored to their reason for staying there: outdoor sportsman activities, tours of the county’s emerging winery scene, and trips to Longwood Gardens, to name a few.

Cosmetic and infrastructure renovations to the Landenberg Store were quickly followed by a reimagination of the restaurant’s products, which now include an expanded menu that offers locally sourced products and opportunities for online ordering and catering services under the direction of store manager Diana Lagana. 

Their outreach didn’t end there; Fenix sponsored community events at the store that featured live music in a music garden complete with picnic benches and strewn lights and fresh coffee from Landenberg-based Creekside Coffee Roasting Company.

Switching gears

Meanwhile, extensive renovations were underway at the hotel, and for the next year, those who patronized the store or simply drove by witnessed Fenix’s day-to-day vision to delicately transform one of southern Chester County’s most well-known places of history.

As the renovations to the hotel progressed, Jones and Feldman received some unexpected news from the Zoning Department at New Garden Township that required the partners to switch gears: the construction did not meet the township’s requirement for its fire and safety codes. In order to meet codes, it would require Fenix to invest in a fire suppression and sprinkler system, which would call for the construction of an outdoor dwelling to house a pump station. 

This past November, Fenix placed the hotel and the store for sale as a package for $1.189 million.

“Our goal was to bring something to the community that would have served everyone,” Feldman said. “We asked ourselves, ‘What can we do with this property that would still benefit the Landenberg community?’ We had a full-fledge plan to revitalize the area and bring tourists and locals alike to support the Landenberg community, but at the end of the day, it is disheartening, mostly for the reason that this vision – while we truly hope that it will eventually happen – won’t happen with us. We gave this journey a full year and a half effort to try to bring this to the Landenberg community. 

“We know that this a unique sale, and we want to make sure that whoever purchases it succeeds. It will be a hand-held experience to prepare them for success.”

Extensive renovations turn historic hotel into single-family luxury home

The renovated hotel, now complete, is a 3,200-square-foot love letter to the natural landscape that surrounds it, with modern updates and a timeless appeal. Complete with original flooring from the 1870s, its newly designed kitchen features new stainless-steel appliances, a large island with a quartz waterfall edge and barstool seating, white cabinets with glass fronts and is connected to a spacious dining area with a vaulted ceiling with charming beams and surrounded by windows and sliding doors that offer panoramic views of White Clay Creek. 

Its family room flows into a more formal living room with a half bath, and a library near the entrance features built-in shelving. Off the family room and accessible from a private staircase, the home offers five bedrooms, including a private one-bedroom with a private deck and entrance at the back of the second floor. 

The home’s primary bedroom on the third floor features a new ensuite bathroom with new tub and shower with glass shower enclosure, built-in shelving, a walk-in closet and a private balcony that overlooks the creek.

“We were able to revamp and refinish a lot of the original details,” Jones said. “Most of the flooring was covered by other floors that had been put on over the last several decades, but we were able to strip that back and re-finish the original pine flooring. We also applied fresh paint on the custom-made moldings and provided some extensive carpentry work, and by doing so, we have not removed the space’s original character but just let it shine a lot more through our cosmetic renovations. 

“We have also taken the Landenberg Store to the next level,” Jones added. “We have more than doubled its sales, added more consistent hours, some extended summer hours, more product offerings and Diana and her staff continue to be excellent.”

“We have learned so much from this process -- owning a general store and the intricacies that go into it and helping to revitalize an historic hotel,” Feldman said. “We believe it exists today as a fantastic opportunity for the right person who wants to purchase a beautiful home and run a very successful country store. 

“Essentially, Landenberg Living, LLC now becomes a different concept. It now becomes our opportunity to find that right person.”

Landenberg Living, LLC is current listed at $1.189 million. To learn more, contact Listing Agent Kristin Ciarmella of Keller Williams at 610-742-9160.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].